


antifreeze

by mullethyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: "couples who slay together stay together" but literally, Alternate Universe, Black Markets, Blood and Gore, Domestic, House Cleaning, Idiots in Love, Kinda?, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Murder, Murder Husbands, Organ Theft, Organized Crime, idk what to tell you they're cute but deadly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22299331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mullethyuck/pseuds/mullethyuck
Summary: Yukhei looks fondly at his boyfriend, slinging his arm over Donghyuck’s shoulders before turning his attention back to the matter at hand. “We got a bleeder.”
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 8
Kudos: 89
Collections: LucasFicFest





	antifreeze

**Author's Note:**

> ok so my prompt was just "blood is never a good sign, especially if you don't know where it's coming from." which is right up my alley thank you so much whoever prompted this <3
> 
> special shoutout to [isis](https://twitter.com/jenosglow) for being my lovely beta!!

“Aw, shit,” Yukhei sighs as he flicks on the lights, the puddle of red in the middle of the workroom floor illuminated by the fluorescence. “Babe!” he calls over his shoulder.

“Yeah?” Donghyuck answers as he makes his way down the hallway to where Yukhei is still standing in the doorframe.

Yukhei looks fondly at his boyfriend, slinging his arm over Donghyuck’s shoulders before turning his attention back to the matter at hand. “We got a bleeder.”

Donghyuck huffs, the force of his breath lifting his bangs up cutely. “Dammit, not again. It's only been a month since the last one, what the fuck are these guys doing?” He rolls his eyes, because he's never had the patience to tolerate people who are bad at their job.

“They're not exactly professionally trained, Hyuckie,” Yukhei points out. “I dunno where Mark finds them.”

“This _is_ their profession, though, so they should act like it,” Donghyuck counters. “You know which one it is?”

Yukhei shakes his head. “There’s a shit ton of it, could be any of them.” 

And he's right. The concrete floor is all but covered, blood tacky from sitting out overnight. It's gonna be such a pain in the ass to clean. Donghyuck says as much, and Yukhei reminds him they have to find the source before they can do anything about the mess, after which Donghyuck nods and rushes down the hall to get his work boots. He's _not_ getting his brand new Louis Vuitton's dirty, thank you very much. Especially not for something as dumb as this.

Yukhei’s already in his work outfit (which is a very sexy ensemble consisting of a frumpy canvas jumpsuit, latex gloves, and clunky ass rubber boots) so he just gets to work. Donghyuck is better at finding the root of the problem, and Yukhei would rather just clean up the mess, so that's what he does.

He's filling up a mop bucket when Donghyuck returns in an outfit similar to Yukhei’s and says, “I swear to god I’m gonna kill Mark if he hires any more amateurs. It's like they want us to get caught.”

Yukhei chuckles, shaking his head. Donghyuck’s always threatening Mark when he isn't around to hear it. “Baby, you can't kill Mark. He’s our boss.”

Donghyuck huffs petulantly as he swings open a door and slides the rack out. “And?” He walks around the body, checking every inch for any kind of wound. When he doesn't find any, he slides it back in. “There are like, a billion people in the black market, and we know half of them. You could totally call up your old friend Jungwoo.”

Donghyuck slides another body out, examining it as intently as he did with the first. God, he's so cute when he's focused. “I am not calling Jungwoo. He doesn't even do this anymore.” Yukhei gets to work with the mop, starting on the other side of the room to avoid getting in Donghyuck’s way as he returns the rack into its cooler.

“Well no shit, he's in prison,” Donghyuck says with one of his beautiful laughs. It sounds like sunshine, and Yukhei could listen to it forever. “But he has connections that go pretty high up.” He pauses, sliding the next body out with a grunt. “He did, anyway. Who knows where his contacts are now.”

Yukhei doesn't respond to Donghyuck’s musings, since they both know it's nothing more than that. Even if Donghyuck’s exasperated with the way Mark runs his business, he still likes the guy. Plus, he’s definitely been the most profitable boss they've had to date, so that's a win. Donghyuck’s Gucci collection isn't buying itself, and Yukhei has a recently developed Kappa addiction that, while not nearly as expensive, does add up fast.

Yukhei’s all but tuned out Donghyuck’s monologuing when he hears a sharp, “Oh, fuck,” as Donghyuck pulls out another rack. Blood sloshes everywhere, right onto the middle of Donghyuck’s chest. “Gross,” he mutters, even though you'd think he'd be used to blood by now. It's been years.

“You found it?” Yukhei asks even though he already knows the answer - but it's worth it when Donghyuck turns around, pouting like the big baby he is. And like, Yukhei's only human, okay? He absolutely _has_ to walk over and squish his boyfriend’s cheeks. (After removing his gloves, of course, because that would be fucking nasty.)

“Shtop it,” Donghyuck says from between Yukhei’s palms. Yukhei complies, mostly because he can actually see the blood trickling onto the floor and adding to the mess as they speak. And he gets such a kick out of teasing the love of his life, absolutely adores it, but he decidedly does not enjoy giant pools of blood in his basement. So, priorities. “Just get rid of that one, it's no good,” Donghyuck instructs, and Yukhei nods. He knows the drill.

Contrary to popular belief, organ procurement - or, as law enforcement would put it, “forced organ harvesting” - is a much more complicated endeavor than it seems. Like, the actual procedure is obviously a complex process, but the rest of the job is a real ordeal too. They have to wait around for Mark to get intel on possible donors, which takes forever. Then he organizes the murder, which can take even longer. When that's done he sends someone to pick the bodies up, and _then_ it's up to Donghyuck and Yukhei to work their magic before they hand the product off to another one of Mark’s dispensable grunt workers. (He never uses anyone valuable for the actual transport, because that's when they're most likely to get caught, and he couldn't give less of a shit if his lackeys go to prison. They'll never talk, or Mark will send his guard dog after them. Jaemin's killed enough insubordinates to be legendary, so no one’s willing to risk it.)

But anyway, it's not as rushed as popular media might lead you to believe. Once the heart stops, it's a race against the clock, but as long as the bodies are hooked up to a ventilator, it doesn't matter how brain dead they are. If the organs are getting oxygen, they're fine. Once the blood stops circulating is when the clock really starts ticking. Which is why Donghyuck and Yukhei invested in state of the art medical equipment, courtesy of Yukhei’s less than ethical doctor friend, Kun.

It's also why they can't use a body if it's bleeding out all over their basement floor. A little blood loss is salvageable, but when they're standing in a puddle that covers the soles of their shoes, that's a lost cause. “Mark is gonna be so pissed,” Donghyuck says as he unhooks the body from the ventilator.

Yukhei heaves the body off the rack and into a body bag so he can move it without leaving a trail of blood in his wake. “Mark’s always pissed,” he points out good naturedly.

“He's just stressed and you know it.” Donghyuck swats his bicep lightly as Yukhei laughs. “I hope he sends Nana after whoever fucked this up.” He ponders for a moment before saying, “That's a solid half a mil we just lost. Do you even _know_ how much Balenciaga I could buy with that?”

“I know, baby,” Yukhei concedes, kissing Donghyuck’s temple before carrying the body bridal style down the hall to the oven. He dumps it in, turns the oven on, and returns to finish cleaning the floor so they can get on with their work. It doesn't take long, now that the puddle’s stagnant, and several bloody mop heads later they're back in business.

“So, only four bodies,” Donghyuck clarifies as Yukhei sets up the operating table.

“Shouldn't take too long, then,” he says as he moves the first body, Donghyuck carefully holding the ventilator in place. Every second counts. “You ready?”

Donghyuck nods. “Yeah, let’s go.” He pulls a new pair of gloves over his hands, snapping them against his wrists even though it hurts like a bitch because he simply cannot turn down an opportunity to be dramatic. Yukhei puts his gloves on much less theatrically, then unhooks the ventilator with practiced precision, pulling the tube out of the body in record time while Donghyuck starts cutting into the chest.

The following hours are filled with blood, guts, and several playlists that Donghyuck sings his heart out to while he's elbow deep in some dude’s chest cavity, snapping the rib cage while he hits an impressive high note. Yukhei’s always told him if the whole black market thing doesn't work out, Donghyuck could be a musician. Donghyuck always blows him off, but he knows he has the talent. It's not his fault his parents are esteemed assassins who expect him to keep up the family business (not that they approve of lowly organ harvesting, but Donghyuck prefers to avoid doing the actual killing, so they settled).

The transporter shows up as soon as they finish the first body, because the kidneys can last a few days but a heart’s only good for six hours, and god knows where Mark’s buyer is located. He comes back periodically - Yukhei keeps Mark updated through coded texts - to retrieve the more time sensitive organs before finally collecting what’s left once Donghyuck's done with the rest of the bodies. Finally he leaves, and Yukhei shoves the mangled corpses back into the coolers. They can't burn them all at once, or it would draw too much attention - the first body’s long gone by now though, so he does drop a new one into the oven as Donghyuck gets to work cleaning the operating table.

This, too, is a practiced effort, and it barely takes them twenty minutes to have everything spotless. They strip out of their work clothes, tossing them into the oven on their way up to the main level. They know better than to leave bloody fabric around the house.

It may be a bit counterintuitive to live in the same space they work in, and even Mark thinks it's eerie, but honestly it's just a lot easier to keep an eye on the product this way. Jeno, Donghyuck’s childhood friend and favourite supplier who does regular work for Mark, always says it's too risky to leave a body unattended, and he knows from experience. A couple years back a nosy neighbour stumbled upon his workshop and tried to call the police - Jeno killed her before she could even get her phone out of her pocket, obviously, but she tried. Imagine if he hadn't been there and she would've actually called. What a nightmare. (Plus, since he _was_ there, Mark got an extra body out of it so it's not like he was that upset Jeno got found out. He moved a week later and hasn't had another issue since.)

Anyway, the point is it's nice to just walk upstairs when they're done with work and plop down on the couch, which they do after showering and changing into sweats and t-shirts. Yukhei leans against the armrest, with Donghyuck draped across his lap, head against his chest. Yukhei runs a hand through Donghyuck’s hair just like he knows Donghyuck likes. They sit in a comfortable silence for what feels like ages, but Yukhei couldn’t be happier - there's nowhere he'd rather be than holding his boyfriend in his arms. He doesn’t take a single moment with Donghyuck for granted, especially since their profession is a perpetual reminder of their own mortality.

But enough of that existential brooding; Yukhei’s never been the type to dwell on the inevitable. So he goes back to petting Donghyuck, and presses a soft kiss to the crown of his head before he blurts, “Y’know, we should get married.” Which he wasn't really planning on saying, but okay.

He feels, more than he hears, the breath hitch in Donghyuck’s throat. “What?” he says as he sits up in Yukhei’s lap, legs tangling together.

Donghyuck’s cheeks are flushed a beautiful shade of red, and Yukhei eats it up. “I said we should get married.”

“Why?” Donghyuck asks, because of course he does.

Yukhei shrugs. “I mean, we could go to prison at any moment, you do realize that, right? And someday we probably will, so I’d rather marry you while I have the chance. Plus I’m never getting rid of you anyway, you know too much,” he teases, kissing the corner of Donghyuck’s mouth.

Donghyuck hides his face in his hands. “Shut up, just say you love me.”

“I love you.” It's not like it's the first time Donghyuck’s heard it, or the second, or - okay, the point is he's heard it a lot. “I’d wanna spend the rest of my life with you even if we weren't high profile criminals.” He brushes his nose lightly against Donghyuck’s in an eskimo kiss.

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Donghyuck has never been great at expressing emotion; it's an unfortunate side effect of growing up raised by ruthless killers. “I love you too, you big sap.” He buries his face in the crook of Yukhei’s neck, and Yukhei can feel the heat radiating off of it as a soft pair of lips pepper kisses against his collarbone.

“You don't have to say yes, baby. Take your time,” Yukhei says, because Donghyuck may be impulsive but marriage is a risky thing in its own way. Especially if one of them does end up getting caught, which frankly is bound to happen at some point.

“I want to,” Donghyuck whispers into Yukhei’s skin. “But I never really thought about it before.”

Yukhei can't blame him for that. Donghyuck had a hard childhood, which is unsurprising really, and he watched his parents’ work strain their marriage time and time again. Then again, they travelled separately for most of their jobs. Yukhei and Donghyuck don't have to worry about that, at least. “I'll always be here, as long as you want me.”

“Promise?” Donghyuck says as he looks up at Yukhei. His eyes are watery and Yukhei just wants to kick himself for thinking Donghyuck looks pretty like this.

“I swear,” Yukhei answers, bringing a hand up to cross his heart. “And I’ll kill anyone who hurts you, you know that.”

Donghyuck laughs at that. “Xuxi, you don't kill anybody.” And well, he's not wrong; they’re already dead by the time Yukhei gets his hands on them. But it's the thought that counts, right?

“I could if it was for you, though,” Yukhei reassures him. “Or if I couldn’t, I’d send Jeno after them.”

Donghyuck snorts. “As if Jeno would listen to you.”

“I mean, he's your best friend. He'd probably beat me to them anyway,” Yukhei admits. “He's got a surprising amount of pent up rage for such a nice guy.”

Donghyuck shakes his head, resting his chin on Yukhei’s sternum. Yukhei has to crane his neck to meet Donghyuck’s eyes, but his boyfriend looks cute when he's all cuddly like this so he doesn't care. “Nah, you just have a weird talent for finding the best in the world even with all the shit you see on a daily basis. You're just _good,_ Xuxi. It's one of the things I love about you.”

Yukhei flashes him a toothy smile, the one that makes him cover his face with his hand. Donghyuck takes the hand and lowers it to lace their fingers together. “Wanna hear what I love about you?”

Donghyuck runs a thumb over Yukhei’s knuckles. “No. Save that for your wedding vows.”

Yukhei’s eyes go so wide at that, they pick up the harsh light from the kitchen and it makes them look like they hold stars. “Are you saying you'll marry me?”

Donghyuck smirks. “I'm saying, ask me properly and I’ll say yes.” He kisses the back of Yukhei’s hand.

Yukhei knows that logistically, it's a nightmare, and it really won't change anything about their relationship except their last names (they don't even pay taxes, for fuck’s sake). But he also knows he's never been more excited for anything in his life, and he can't wait to spend the rest of it with Lee Donghyuck.

Now all he needs is a big ass ring. Better tell Mark to send them a couple extra bodies for the next job.

**Author's Note:**

> ngl this kind of got away from me it wasn't really meant to be so sappy but oh well
> 
> anyway i hope you enjoyed this it was super fun to write!! @ my prompter i took a lot of liberties bc your prompt was pretty open so i hope you liked it <3 thank you for giving me so much freedom your faith in me is astounding


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